The following are some of the interesting, strange, and downright wacky superstitions that I’ve come across about mules.
1.
Romani people found the mule with the longest ears and asked it if they would fall in love soon. If the mule shook its head, the answer was yes; if the mule moved one ear, the answer was maybe; and if the mule did not move, the answer was no.
2.
A common and much altered superstition says that if you encounter 99 horses and one white mule, then shake a man’s hand, that man will be your future husband.
(this superstition varies wildly from place to place, with the number of horses and the colour of the mule changing, and sometimes the mule is omitted entirely)
3.
It is lucky to posses a white mule.
4.
Dead mules breed hornets.
(from the Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, And Occult Sciences. What does it even mean??!!)
5.
If you are followed by a mule, look out for trouble.
(oh this one is definitely true)
6.
To hear the sound of a mule braying in the night brings good luck.
7.
A mule shoe should be placed over the back door, to kick out bad luck.
(however, I also came across a superstition that claimed hanging a mule shoe over any door would bring bad luck, so … I’m glad mine are barefoot!)
8.
Ozark folklore: riding a mule will cause a woman to be an old maid.
9.
An old Moroccan superstition, reported on in 1933, states that if a mule is seen to be pawing the ground it is said to be digging its grave and the owner will promptly sell the animal.
10.
A horse and mule hitched together is unlucky.
11.
If you see two white mules hitched to a red wagon, you will have bad luck for three years.
12.
When a minister, a white horse, and a mule are all on one boat, there will certainly be an accident.
(I mean, they ain’t wrong…)
13.
To unexpectedly see a mule signifies obstinacy and / or loss of a lawsuit.
14.
To kill a mule will bring you sixteen years of bad luck.
(and that’s the least you’d deserve)
15.
To avoid attention from the muladona, a cursed woman in the form of a mule, Catalan muleteers would feed their mules muladona-shaped pieces of bread before starting out on a journey.
